Jaggery merchants take out protest rally in Pakala

To submit memorandum against GO 36787 to Chief Minister today Chittoor: The Jaggery merchants, who have been on a strike since six days against the recent GO 36787 issued by the government, decided to handover a memorandum to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy when he visits Karvetinagaram in Chittoor on Sunday to launch Indiramma Kalalu and other programmes. The members of the Association took out a rally in Pakala on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, Jaggery and Groundnut Merchants Association (JGMA) district president Madhava Naidu demanded immediate withdrawal of the GO that restricted the merchants from keeping not more than four tonnes of jaggery and to submit stock details every day in writing to the excise officials. He said sugarcane is the biggest crop after groundnut in Chittoor district and sugarcane was cultivated in about 1.20 lakh acres this year. Farmers have produced over two lakh tonnes of jaggery and 80 % of it is of the black variety, he added. With this restriction in force, merchants are witholding purchases of jiggery, which may cause a slump in the annual jaggery business from Rs 200 crores per annum to Rs 100 crores, Madhava Naidu observed. He said over one lakh farmers are growing sugarcane and lakhs of families are dependent on related professions like jaggery trading, market yards, and transport workers in the district. All these activities came to a standstill due to this GO and the farmers and others are the ultimate sufferers, he lamented. Thousands of merchants from Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka usually come here to purchase jaggery every year but the recent GO discouraged them, he said. Over 25,000 jaggery traders in distress and sugarcane growers left with repayment of debts are planning to meet the CM in Karvetinagaram, he said. Traders from Chittoor, Madanapalle, Pakala, Bangarupalem, Damalacheruvu and Yerravaripalem will also be in the delegation, he said.